Drive Revenue with These Effective Onboarding Strategies
Ariel hosts a live stream with Jacob to explore effective onboarding strategies that drive user engagement and revenue, covering best practices, common mistakes, and actionable tips for app developers. The session also includes a Q&A with the audience, offering insights into onboarding flows, tone, personalization, and monetization tactics.
Driving Revenue Through Engagement and Onboarding: A Deep Dive with Ariel and Jacob
Introduction: The Overlooked Power of Onboarding and Engagement
Ariel:
Welcome, everyone! Today, we're diving into a topic that doesn't get enough attention: driving revenue through engagement and onboarding. While paywalls and ASO (App Store Optimization) are hot topics, there's so much more to maximizing your app's potential after you've acquired a user. That's why I've invited Jacob, who runs a popular blog focused on retention and post-acquisition strategies. Jacob, thanks for joining us!
Jacob:
Happy to be here, Ariel. I’ve spent over a decade in mobile marketing, focusing on retention and monetization—essentially, what happens after you acquire a user. My experience spans product marketing, lifecycle marketing, and product growth. I also write at retention.blog, where I share insights and strategies for keeping users engaged and turning them into paying customers. I do some consulting and advisory work as well, so I keep busy in the app growth space.
Ariel:
Fantastic! If you’re not reading Jacob’s blog, you should be—we’ll link to it in the description. Let’s jump right in.
Do You Need Onboarding? Emotional vs. Functional Apps
Ariel:
Let’s start with the basics. When a user first opens your app, do you need an onboarding flow, or can you just let them explore?
Jacob:
Great question. Not every product needs a traditional onboarding. It depends on your app’s category and the user’s motivation. For example, health and fitness apps often see conversions happen immediately—users come in with high intent and are ready to act. Here, onboarding that captures and channels that emotional energy is key.
For more functional products—like a music app—users might want to get straight to the value. Take AllTrails, for example: minimal onboarding, a quick feature list, and then the paywall. Users can explore and use the app for free, converting over time as they see value.
A good rule of thumb:
- If your app solves an emotional need, convert users early with onboarding that motivates and sells.
- If it’s functional, minimize friction and let users get to the value quickly.
Ariel:
That’s a great distinction. Even functional apps need some guidance, though—otherwise, users might churn if they can’t find what they need.
Jacob:
Absolutely. Even if you minimize onboarding, a little context or direction helps prevent early churn.
The Rise of Long Onboarding Flows
Ariel:
Are onboarding flows getting longer over time?
Jacob:
Absolutely. Apps like Noom pioneered the long onboarding flow, and now it’s common—sometimes 60 or even 80 screens! This goes against the old wisdom of “remove friction,” but with subscriptions and trials, you need users to convert quickly. For many apps, 60-80% of trial starts happen in the first session.
Long onboarding works because of psychological principles like the sunk cost fallacy: if a user invests time in onboarding, they’re more likely to start a trial. The key is to make onboarding engaging and valuable, not just long for the sake of it.
Audience Q&A: Tone, Personalization, and Progress Bars
Q: What tone should onboarding have? Should it be familiar or formal?
Jacob:
It depends on your app. For a microlearning app, sound like a teacher—users expect authority. But brand voice is an underutilized differentiator. If your app has a unique point of view, let that shine in your tone. Test different approaches and see what resonates.
Ariel:
Know your user. If your app is a companion, be friendly; if it’s business-focused, be professional. But don’t be afraid to stand out if it fits your brand.
Jacob:
Exactly. And if you want to test new tones, try it in ad copy first to gauge response before changing your product.
Q: Are there onboarding techniques to boost engagement without adding friction?
Jacob:
Yes!
- Use question-and-answer formats to make users feel heard.
- Sprinkle in testimonials and social proof.
- Balance “taking” (asking for info) with “giving” (offering value).
- Before asking for permissions (push, email, location), build up excitement or motivation—don’t stack all requests at once.
Personalization is key. If you ask about a user’s goal, follow up on it—don’t just collect data. Use that info to tailor the experience and future messaging.
Ariel:
Interactive onboarding is powerful, especially as AI and chatbots become more common. But even simple logic-based personalization can go a long way.
Q: Should you show a progress bar during onboarding?
Jacob:
Yes. Progress bars provide transparency and help users see how far they’ve come. For long onboardings, break it into sections or stages so users don’t feel overwhelmed. Get creative—show progress without making it feel endless.
Ariel:
Progress bars align with user-centric design. Just don’t make users feel lost in a never-ending flow.
Special Cases: Onboarding for Kids’ Apps
Ariel:
How should onboarding differ for kids’ apps, especially when adults and kids both use the app? And what about onboarding videos?
Jacob:
If your audience is kids (especially ages 4-6), don’t try to monetize the kids directly. Focus on the adults—parents are the ones who pay. Split your onboarding early: ask if the user is a child or parent. For parents, show a monetization-focused flow; for kids, make it fun and engaging.
As for videos, a minute and a half is too long. Break it up into shorter segments and repurpose content throughout the app.
Ariel:
That makes sense. For kids, onboarding is about usability, not monetization.
Summary and Key Takeaways
Ariel:
To wrap up, here are the highlights:
- Always show your paywall—especially if you’re focused on paid acquisition.
- Know your user and provide immediate value in onboarding.
- Onboarding isn’t just about the first session—guide users until they reach meaningful engagement.
- Personalize and engage—use interactive elements, social proof, and context to keep users invested.
- Design and tone matter—consistency and brand voice can set you apart.
Jacob:
If you liked what I shared, check out retention.blog for more examples and deep dives. I’m also on LinkedIn—feel free to connect or comment on my posts.
Ariel:
I can vouch for Jacob’s blog—there’s a ton of actionable advice on onboarding, engagement, and monetization. As downloads get harder to win, making the most of every user is more important than ever.
Jacob, thanks so much for joining us and sharing your wisdom. We’ll have to do a part two soon—there’s still so much to cover, like email marketing and ongoing engagement.
Thanks to everyone for tuning in! We’ll drop links to everything discussed in the description. Subscribe to the newsletter to stay updated on future sessions. See you next time!
✨ This transcript was generated and enhanced by AI and may differ from the original video.
